Chinese scientists have discovered that an alkali-tolerance gene can enhance crop productivity in saline–alkaline soils.

Release Date:

2023-03-27

Researcher Xie Qi’s team at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with numerous domestic research institutions and universities, has, after years of study, identified the major‑effect alkali‑tolerance gene AT1. This gene can significantly increase the yields of crops such as sorghum, rice, wheat, maize, and millet on saline–alkali soils and holds great promise for the integrated improvement and sustainable utilization of these challenging environments. The findings were published on March 24, Beijing time, in the international academic journal Science.

A research team comprising the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other institutions used sorghum—originating from the nutrient-poor soils of central Africa—as their experimental material. Employing a mixed-alkali approach to modulate soil pH, they conducted experiments and, through genome-wide association analysis, identified the major alkalinity‑tolerance gene AT1. This gene is homologous to GS3, a rice gene that regulates grain shape, thereby revealing for the first time the molecular mechanism underlying crop alkalinity tolerance.

Xie Qi, a researcher at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained: “In general, plants and crops undergo genomic changes and evolutionary adaptations to their environments. So we collected seed resources from various regions and planted them in highly saline–alkaline soils. Some germinated, while others did not. We then obtained genomic data for these sorghums and used computational analysis to correlate this data with salt‑alkali tolerance—distinguishing between tolerant and non‑tolerant lines. By comparing the two, we identified specific gene mutations. This approach allowed us to be the first to discover that a particular gene in sorghum is associated with alkali tolerance.”

Building on these theoretical breakthroughs, researchers conducted practical breeding and production trials to enhance salt–alkali tolerance in sorghum. Field experiments carried out on the saline–alkaline soils of Pingluo, Ningxia, demonstrated that harnessing the AT1 gene can increase grain yield by 20.1% and boost whole-plant biomass for silage by nearly 30.5%. Furthermore, the AT1 gene has been applied to improve salt–alkali tolerance in major cereal crops, including rice, wheat, maize, and millet. Multi-year trials on the saline–alkaline soils of Da’an, Jilin, showed that rice yields increased by 22.4% to 27.8%, while millet yields rose by 19.5% on the saline–alkaline soils of Pingluo, Ningxia. In addition, genetic modification with the AT1 gene significantly enhances maize survival rates under saline–alkaline conditions.

According to survey data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as of 2015, more than one billion hectares of saline–alkali soils worldwide were rendered unusable due to excessive salinity and alkalinity, with alkali soils accounting for approximately 60% of these degraded lands. Researchers estimate that if this gene were applied to 20% of the world’s saline–alkali lands, it could boost global food production by at least 250 million tons annually, thereby enhancing crop yields in such areas.

Xie Qi, a researcher at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated: “Our country has another 1.5 billion mu of saline‑alkali land, which is by no means negligible compared with our 1.8 billion mu of arable land. If we can bring this saline‑alkali land into agricultural production, it will help ensure our national food security.”

Source: CCTV News

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